BEIJING - ONLY two memories brought tears to Sun Yaoting's eyes in old age - the day his father cut off his genitals, and the day his family threw away the pickled remains that should have made him a whole man again at death.

He had stories of the tortuous rituals of the Forbidden City, Emperor Pu Yi's last moments there and the troubled puppet court run by the Japanese during the 1930s.

HONG KONG - KIYOSHI Kurosawa's Tokyo Sonata was named best film at the third Asian Film Awards on Monday in an evening dominated by Japanese filmmakers.

The family drama, which describes the estrangement between a husband, his wife and his children, also won best screenwriter for Kurosawa.

IF THERE was one thing the 1980s B-grade comedy franchise Police Academy was best remembered for, it was the character played by Effects.